Systems and methods for dynamic processing of objects using box tray assemblies

ABSTRACT

A box handling system is disclosed for use in an object processing system. The box handling system includes a box tray including a recessed area for receiving a box, and the recessed area includes a plurality of floor and edge portions for receiving the box that contains objects to be processed.

PRIORITY

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 62/638,724 filed Mar. 5, 2018, the disclosure ofwhich is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The invention generally relates to automated sortation and otherprocessing systems, and relates in certain embodiments to programmablemotion control, e.g., robotic, systems for processing, e.g., sorting,objects such as parcels, packages, articles, goods etc.

Current distribution center sorting systems, for example, generallyassume an inflexible sequence of operations whereby a disorganizedstream of input objects is first singulated by human workers into asingle stream of isolated objects presented one at a time to a humanworker with a scanner that identifies the object. The objects are thenloaded onto one or more conveyors that lead to diverters, and theconveyor(s) then transport the objects to the desired destinations,which may be bins, chutes, bags or destination conveyors.

Such a system has inherent inefficiencies as well as inflexibilitiessince the desired goal is to match incoming objects to assignedcollection bins. Such systems may require a large number of collectionbins (and therefore a large amount of physical space, large capitalcosts, and large operating costs) in part, because sorting all objectsin unison is not always most efficient.

Current state of the art sortation systems rely on human labor. Mostsolutions rely on a worker that is performing sortation, by scanning anobject from an induction area (chute, table, etc.) and placing theobject in a staging location, or collection bin. When a bin is full orthe controlling software system decides that it needs to be emptied,another worker empties the bin into a bag, box, or other container, andsends that container on to the next processing step. Such a system haslimits on throughput (i.e., how fast can human workers sort to or emptybins in this fashion) and on number of diverts (i.e., for a given binsize, only so many bins may be arranged to be within efficient reach ofhuman workers).

Partially automated means of solving this problem are lacking in keyareas. Such approaches typically involve tilt-tray or bomb-bay stylerecirculating conveyors. These conveyors have discrete trays that can beloaded with an object. The trays and objects then pass through scantunnels that scan the object and associate it with the tray in which itis riding; when the tray passes the correct bin, a trigger mechanismcauses the tray to dump the object into the bin. A drawback of suchsystems is that every divert requires an actuator, which increases themechanical complexity and the cost per divert can be very high. Forapplications requiring hundreds of diverts, the large cost of such asystem does not achieve a good return on investment.

An alternative is to use human labor to increase the number of diverts,or collection bins, available in the system. This decreases systeminstallation costs, but increases the operating costs. Manual sortationcells are staffed by a team of workers, which avoids the large cost perdivert. Multiple cells can then work in parallel, effectivelymultiplying throughput linearly while keeping the number of expensiveautomated diverts at a minimum (equal to the number of parallelsortation cells, not the total number of system bins needed). Thisapproach involves objects for sortation being supplied to each cell,which can be done manually but is easily done via means of a conveyorwith sweep arms or other dumb diverts to each work cell. Such diverts donot identify an object and cannot divert it to a particular spot; ratherthey work with beam breaks or other simple sensors to seek to make surethat indiscriminate bunches of objects get diverted to each cell. Thelower cost of the unsophisticated diverts coupled with the low number ofdiverts keeps the overall system divert cost low.

Unfortunately however, these systems don't address the limitations oftotal number of system bins. The system is simply diverting an equalshare of the total objects to each parallel manual cell. Each parallelsortation cell must therefore have all the same collection binsdesignations; otherwise an object might be delivered to a cell that doesnot have a bin to which that object is mapped. There remains a need fora more efficient and more cost effective object sortation system thatprocesses (e.g., sorts) objects into appropriate collection bins, yet ismore efficient in operation.

SUMMARY

In accordance with an embodiment, the invention provides a box handlingsystem for use in an object processing system. The box handling systemincludes a box tray including a recessed area for receiving a box, andthe recessed area includes a plurality of floor and edge portions forreceiving the box that contains objects to be processed.

In accordance with another embodiment, the invention provides a boxhandling system for use in an object processing system, wherein the boxhandling system includes a box tray including a recessed area forreceiving a box, the recessed area including a plurality of floor andedge portions for receiving the box that contains objects to beprocessed. The box handling system also includes identifying indicia onat least one of the box and the box tray, the identifying indiciauniquely identifying the box tray handling system.

In accordance with a further embodiment, the invention provides a boxhandling system for use in an object processing system, where the boxhandling system includes a box tray including a recessed area forreceiving a box, the recessed area including a plurality of floor andedge portions for receiving a box that contains objects to be processed.The box tray includes outer width and length dimensions that providethat a plurality of such box trays when adjacently aligned provides atleast one of a total width and total length of the plurality of such boxtrays that at least one of the total width or total length the pluralityof such box trays provides a defined position of each of the pluralityof such box trays within the box handling system.

In accordance with yet a further embodiment, the invention provides abox handling system for use in an object processing system, where thebox handling system includes a box tray assembly including a tray forreceiving a box, the tray including a recessed area for receiving thebox, wherein the recessed area includes a plurality of floor and edgeportions for receiving the box, and a box cover for placement over anopen box such that outer flaps of the box may be maintained in an openposition, and wherein the box cover includes an open top portion thatpermits access to the box.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following description may be further understood with reference tothe accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative diagrammatic isometric view of a boxhandling system for object processing in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows an illustrative diagrammatic isometric view of two boxtrays of the box handling system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows an illustrative diagrammatic plan view of multiple boxtrays of the box handling system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows an illustrative diagrammatic plan view of object processinghomogenous objects to heterogeneous objects using the box handlingsystem of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 shows an illustrative diagrammatic plan view of object processingheterogeneous objects to homogenous objects using the box handlingsystem of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 shows an illustrative diagrammatic exploded view of a box trayassembly, box and box cover of the box handling system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 shows an illustrative diagrammatic end view of the box trayassembly of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 shows an illustrative diagrammatic side view of the box trayassembly of FIG. 6;

FIGS. 9A-9C show illustrative diagrammatic isometric views of the boxtray assembly of FIG. 6 (FIG. 9A) as well as box tray assemblies inaccordance with further embodiments of the present invention (FIGS. 9Band 9C);

FIGS. 10A and 10B show illustrative diagrammatic isometric views of boxtray assemblies in accordance with further embodiments of the inventioninvolving boxes with a variety of flap arrangements;

FIG. 11 shows an illustrative diagrammatic view of the box and box trayof FIG. 6 showing air egress when a box is positioned in the box tray;

FIG. 12 shows an illustrative diagrammatic isometric view of the boxtray of the box tray of FIG. 6 showing indicia provided in a recessedarea in accordance with embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 shows an illustrative diagrammatic end view of the box tray ofFIG. 12;

FIG. 14 shows an illustrative diagrammatic side view of the box tray ofFIG. 12;

FIG. 15 shows an illustrative diagrammatic top view of the box tray ofFIG. 12;

FIG. 16 shows an illustrative diagrammatic bottom view of the box trayof FIG. 12;

FIG. 17 shows an illustrative diagrammatic isometric view of a pluralityof stacked box trays;

FIG. 18 shows an illustrative diagrammatic isometric view of the boxcover of the box tray of FIG. 6 showing indicia provided in a recessedarea in accordance with embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 19 shows an illustrative diagrammatic end view of the box cover ofFIG. 18;

FIG. 20 shows an illustrative diagrammatic side view of the box cover ofFIG. 18;

FIG. 21 shows an illustrative diagrammatic top view of the box cover ofFIG. 18;

FIG. 22 shows an illustrative diagrammatic bottom view of the cover trayof FIG. 18;

FIG. 23 shows an illustrative diagrammatic isometric view of a pluralityof stacked box covers;

FIGS. 24A-24D show illustrative diagrammatic views of a box trayassembly being transferred from one conveyor to another in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 25A and 25B show illustrative diagrammatic isometric views of abox handling system including a box a box kicker assembly in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 26A-26D show illustrative diagrammatic isometric views of a boxhandling system including a box a box kicker assembly in accordance witha further embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 27A and 27B show illustrative diagrammatic top views of box traysin a box handling system including an attraction system for attractingadjacent box trays toward one another in a side-by-side fashion inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention; and

FIGS. 28A and 28B show illustrative diagrammatic top views of box traysin a box handling system including an attraction system for attractingadjacent box trays toward one another in an end-to-end fashion inaccordance with another embodiment of the invention.

The drawings are shown for illustrative purposes only.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In accordance with various embodiments, the invention provides a boxhandling system for use in an object processing system. The box handlingsystem includes a box tray including a recessed area for receiving abox. The recessed area includes a plurality of floor and edge portionsfor receiving the box that contains objects to be processed. Inaccordance with another embodiment, the box handling system includes abox tray including a recessed area for receiving a box, and the recessedarea includes a plurality of floor and edge portions for receiving thebox that contains objects to be processed. The box handling system alsoincludes identifying indicia on at least one of the box tray and thebox, and the identifying indicia uniquely identifies the box tray. Inaccordance with another embodiment, the box tray also includes outerwidth and length dimensions that provide that a plurality of such boxtrays when adjacently aligned provides at least one of a total width andtotal length of the plurality of such box trays that at least one of thetotal width or total length the plurality of such box trays provides adefined position and location of each of the plurality of such box trayswithin the box handling system. In accordance with a further embodiment,the box tray also includes a box cover for placement over an open boxsuch that outer flaps of the box may be maintained in an open position,and wherein the box cover includes an open top portion that permitsaccess to the box.

FIG. 1 shows a box handling system 10 for use in object processing inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The system 10includes a programmable motion device 12 such as a robotic system havingan end effector 14 (e.g., a vacuum gripper or gripping actuators), thatis positioned between two conveyors 16, 18, on which are provided boxesplaced on box tray assemblies 20. The system 10 also includes two setsof overhead image collection units 22, 24 for obtaining image dataregarding the contents of boxes of the box tray assemblies 20 of the twoconveyors 16, 18. Each of the box tray assemblies 20 also includesidentifying indicia 26 on box trays as well as identifying indicia 25 onbox covers. In further embodiments, the box itself may includeidentifying indicia 27 as discussed in more detail below with referenceto FIG. 2. The system 10 may include perception units 28 and 29 forperceiving perception data (e.g., image data or scan data) regarding theidentifying indicia 25, 26 as each box tray assembly 20 passes aperception unit 28, 29. The system may record the identifying indiciafor each corresponding box tray and box cover combination, providingrobust information regarding each box tray assembly. Generally, as eachbox tray assembly passes the perception units 28, 29, both indicia 25,26 are read, and checked for confirmation that the detected box covercorresponds to the detected box tray. In other embodiments, the detectedbox cover and the detected box tray are now assigned to correspond toeach other for the duration of the processing of the box held by the boxtray and the box cover.

Responsive to such box assignment by the perception data, a processingsystem 30 directs the programmable motion device to move contents in boxtray assemblies on one conveyor to box tray assemblies 20 on the otherconveyor. Any number of programmable motion devices 12 may be providedbetween adjacent rows of box tray assemblies 20 for further scaling theautomated processing. In an embodiment, the system knows what is inboxes associated with each identifying indicia (e.g., 26), and thesystem knows which items are to be moved from one conveyor 16 to boxtray assemblies on another conveyor 18. Because each of the box trayassemblies is provided known distances from stops 17, the system knowswhere each box is positioned on conveyors 16, 18 because each of the boxtrays has the same known width, and because the box tray assemblies areurged toward to the stop, either by a gravity fed conveyor or by havingthe conveyor continue to urge the box tray assemblies in the directiontoward the stop 17.

With further reference to FIG. 2, each box tray assembly 20 may includea box 32 that is received by a box tray 34, and on top of which isplaced a box cover 36. Again each conveyor 16, 18 may include anactuatable stop 17 for selectively stopping the movement of box trayassemblies along each conveyor. The outer edges of the box trays 34 aredesigned to abut each other along either their length or width sides (asindicated at A) such that distances between the boxes (as indicated atB) and the locations of the openings of each box tray assembly (asindicated at C) is known as further shown in FIG. 3. As also shown inFIG. 2, either or both the box cover 36 or the box tray 34 or the box 32may include the identifying indicia 25. 26, 27. During processingtherefore, as box tray assemblies 20 pass in front of perception units28, 29, 31, the processing system 30 records the identity of eachsuccessive box tray assembly, box and box cover. Because the box trayassemblies are of equal width (or length if aligned lengthwise) andbecause the position of the stop 17 is known, the locations of each ofthe box tray assemblies is known, as is the location (and identity) ofthe contents within each box.

This provides the system 10 with significant uniformity that greatlyassists in the automated processing of the objects. The stops 17 may beactuated for a limited time for processing of objects thus containednear a programmable motion device 12, and then released to permit thebox tray assemblies 20 to pass, and to permit a new set of box trayassemblies (and associated new objects) and or a new set of destinationbox tray assemblies to be presented near the programmable motion device.As also shown in FIG. 2, the indicia 26 may be provided on the box trayin a recessed area 46 that protects the indicia 26 from damage orpeeling from abrasion or other contact with other moving or non-movingstructures, and may provide a convenient handle for a person to use tograsp the box tray (particularly when another similar recessed area isprovided on the opposite side of the box tray). Similarly the indicia 25may be provided on the box cover 36 in a recessed area 45 that protectsthe indicia 25 from damage or peeling from abrasion or other contactwith other moving or non-moving structures.

FIG. 4 for example, shows the processing of objects from box trayassemblies 20′ in which the contents of each box are homogenous, to boxtray assemblies 20″ in which the contents of each box are heterogeneous.FIG. 5 shows the processing of objects from box tray assemblies 20″′ inwhich the contents of each box are heterogeneous, to box tray assemblies20″″ in which the contents of each box are homogeneous in some regard.Such object processing may provide traditional sortation into likeproducts, or may be used to produce collections or objects, for example,either destined for a common shipping location, or that are selected toprovide a breakpack to be delivered to a location for breaking apart ina particular, predefined way (such as providing items for a common isleat a retail store).

FIG. 6 shows an exploded view of the box tray assembly 20. As shown, thebox 32 (e.g., a standard shipping sized cardboard box) may includebottom and side edges 31, 33 that are received by a top surface 35 andinner sides 37 of the box tray 34. As also shown in FIG. 6, the box 30may include top flaps 38 that, when opened as shown, are held open byinner surfaces 40 of the box cover 36. The box cover 36 may also adefined rim opening 42, as well as corner elements 44. The box 32 isthus maintained securely within the box tray 34, and the box cover 36provides that the flaps 38 remain down along the outside of the boxpermitting the interior of the box to be accessible through the opening42 in the box cover 36. The recessed area 45 of the box cover 36 mayinclude the identifying indicia, and the recessed area 46 of the boxtray 34 may also include identifying indicia as discussed above. FIG. 7shows a width side view (and FIG. 8 shows a length side view) of the boxtray assembly 20 with the box 32 securely seated within the box tray 34,and the box cover holding open the flaps 38 of the box 32.

FIG. 9A shows an isometric view of the box tray assembly 20, with thebox 32 resting in the box tray 34, and with the box top 36 holding theflaps 38 of the box open. With reference to FIGS. 9B and 9C, the samebox trays 34 and box covers 36 may be used with different height boxes32′ and 32″, thereby permitting the box trays 34 and box covers 36 to beused on a wide variety of boxes. Similarly, and with reference to FIGS.10A and 10B, the same box trays 34 and box covers 36 may be used onboxes 39, 41 that have different sized box flaps 43, and even fewer thanfour flaps 45 (e.g., one or two flaps) as shown. Additionally, thecontents of the box may extend above the box cover, in the event thatthe contents may later settle, enabling the box to be later closed, andin particular, the sides of the cover may help support contents of thebox above the box opening.

FIG. 11 shows the box 32 being lowered in a direction as shown at D intothe box tray 34. As shown at E in FIG. 11, when the box 32 is close tothe base of the box tray 34, air is able to escape through corneropenings 19 (which are also shown in FIG. 15). By the use of suchopenings, the size of the box (length and width, not height) may be snugfit to the interior of the box tray. In accordance with furtherembodiments, the box trays may include a lock-in detent feature tosecure the box to the box tray, such as for example, having one or moresides 37 move inward to engage a box side. The use of such box trays toconvey a box may be particularly beneficial when using conveyors thatcannot readily convey an empty box alone due to the light weight of theempty box. If, for example, a roller conveyor is used, the rollers mayrotate under an empty box without actually moving the box in the desireddirection. The box tray has (somewhat) more mass than that of an emptybox, and will ensure that the box tray will be readily conveyable by theconveyance system. The features on the bottom of the box tray alsofacilitate this as discussed in more detail below.

FIGS. 12-16 show further views in detail of the box tray 34. Inparticular, FIG. 12 shows an isometric view of the box tray 34. FIG. 13shows a width side view of the box tray 34 (having a width W_(base) asshown), and FIG. 14 shows a length side view of the box tray 34 (havinga length L_(base) as shown). FIG. 15 shows a top view of the box tray34, and FIG. 16 shows a bottom view of the box tray 34. The inner sides37 of the box tray 34 as well as the bottom 35 of the box tray 34 intowhich the box 32 is received, are further shown in FIGS. 9 and 12. Thebox tray 34 also includes recesses 46 (as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13) inwhich indicia may be placed, and optionally, by which the box tray (andany box thereon) may be lifted by a human. The box tray 34 also includesa patterned relief structure 48 on the underside of the box tray 34 asshown in FIG. 16. The structure 48 are also level with the bottom edgesof the box tray. The structures 48 ensure that the bottom of the boxtray provides sufficient friction for movement on the conveyor, but isalso flat enough on the bottom that the box tray may be kicked onto anadjacent conveyor (as discussed in more detail below). FIG. 12 alsoshows a box kick region 51 of the box tray that may be contacted by anautomated box kicker as discussed in more detail below.

FIG. 17 shows multiple box trays 34 stacked onto one another, showingthat the box trays may be nested into each other for stacking. Inparticular, wall corners 53 in a box tray may receive alignment features55 of an adjacently stacked box tray. Also, the box kick portion 51 maynest inside side walls of adjacent box trays as shown. In this way, aplurality of box trays may be sacked upon each other for easy transport(on conveyors) and storage.

FIGS. 18-22 show further views in detail of the box cover 36. Inparticular, the box cover 36 includes engaging walls 56 that engage (onthe inside thereof) the open flaps of a box top. The box cover 36 alsoincludes opening walls 58 that define an opening for objects to beretrieved from or inserted into the box. The opening walls 58 aremounted on a base that includes shoulder corners 57, which, whenmultiple box covers are stacked, align with tabs 44 of other adjacentbox covers as shown in FIG. 23. FIG. 18 shows an isometric view of thebox cover 36. FIG. 19 shows a width side view of the box cover 36showing the width of the cover (W_(cover)), and FIG. 20 shows a lengthside view of the box cover 36 showing the length of the cover(L_(cover)).

FIG. 21 shows a top view of the box cover 36, and FIG. 22 shows a bottomview of the box cover 36. In accordance with an embodiment, the width ofthe cover (W_(cover)) is less than the width of the box tray (W_(base)),and the length of the cover (L_(cover)) is less than the length of thebox tray (L_(base)). In other embodiments, the width of the box covermay be the same as the width of the box tray, and the length of thecover may be the same as that of the box tray. In further embodiments,the dimensions of the cover (W_(cover), L_(cover)) may be larger thanthose of the box tray, and the dimensions of the cover may determine thelocation and position of each of the boxes rather than using thedimensions of the base (W_(base), L_(base)). FIG. 23 shows multiple boxcovers 36 stacked onto one another, showing that the box covers may alsobe nested into each other for stacking. In particular tabs 44 are shownaligned with shoulder corners 57 of adjacently stacked box covers.

FIG. 24A shows a portion of a system in accordance with anotherembodiment of the present invention in which box tray assemblies 20 areprovided on a conveyor 72 (e.g., 16 or 18 shown in FIG. 1), and anadditional conveyor 70 is provided adjacent the conveyor 72 as shown.With reference to FIG. 24B, a box tray assembly 120 may be selectivelymoved (or kicked) from the conveyor 72 onto the conveyor 70 in adirection F as shown. Once the box 120 is removed from the conveyor 72,the remaining box tray assemblies on the conveyor 72 then move indirections as shown at G in FIG. 24C to fill the space left by theremoved box tray assembly 120. With reference to FIG. 24D, the removedbox tray assembly 120 may then travel along the conveyor 70 as shown atH for further processing.

FIGS. 25A and 25B show rear views of the system of FIGS. 24A-24D. Inparticular, FIG. 25A shows that a box kicker assembly 74 may travelalong a track 76 behind the box tray assemblies 20, and with referenceto FIG. 25B, the box kicker assembly may be selectively engaged to urgethe removal of a box tray assembly from a conveyor. In particular, thebox kicker may include an actuatable (e.g., by solenoid) post 78 that isdesigned to contact a kickerplate portion 51 of a box tray to push thebox tray assembly onto the conveyor 70. Such a system may be used toprovide that boxes that are empty or finished being unloaded may beremoved (e.g., from conveyor 16), or that boxes that are full orfinished being loaded may be removed (e.g., from conveyor 18).Operational control of the system is provided by one or more processingsystems 30.

With reference to FIGS. 26A-26D, a box kicker 84 in accordance withanother embodiment of the present invention may be suspended by andtravel along a track 86, and may include a rotatable arm 88 and a rollerwheel 90 at the end of the arm 88. With reference to FIGS. 26B-26D, whenthe roller 90 contacts the kicker plate 51 of a box tray (of a box trayassembly 180), the arm 88 continues to rotate, urging the box trayassembly 180 from a first conveyor 82 to a second conveyor 80. Inparticular, when the roller 90 contacts the kicker plate 51 of the boxtray, the rotation of the arm 88 causes the box tray to move linearly,and the roller 90 may contact the plate 51 at a single location on theplate 51 until the box tray assembly moves away from the roller 90.Again, the roller is designed to contact a kickerplate portion 51 of abox tray to push the box tray assembly onto the conveyor 80. Such asystem may be used to provide that boxes that are empty or finishedbeing unloaded may be removed (e.g., from conveyor 16), or that boxesthat are full or finished being loaded may be removed (e.g., fromconveyor 18). In accordance with certain embodiments, the box kicker 84may be positioned between two rows of boxes in box tray assemblies, andthe box kicker may be actuated to push a box tray assembly on eitherside of the two rows onto output conveyors.

In each of the above systems, a controller 30 (e.g., one or morecomputer processors) may be employed (either wirelessly or wired) tomonitor the location and position of each of the box tray assemblies onthe conveyors, to control the processing of objects with a programmablemotion device, and to maintain status information regarding theprocessing stages of each of the boxes in the box tray assemblies.

FIGS. 27A and 27B show box trays 50 in accordance with anotherembodiment of the present invention that include positive fieldoutwardly positioned magnets 52 and negative field outwardly positionedmagnets 54. When adjacent box trays are brought toward each other (asshown in FIG. 27B), an attractive force is created by each magnet pair(52, 54) that draws the box trays closed together length-wise, andfacilitates holding the box trays in alignment length-wise. The boxtrays 50 may be used as discussed above with respect to box trays 34.

As shown in FIGS. 28A and 28B, in accordance with a further embodimentof the present invention, box trays 60 may be provided that includepositive field outwardly positioned magnets 62 and negative fieldoutwardly positioned magnets 64. When adjacent box trays are broughttoward each other (as shown in FIG. 28B), an attractive force is createdby each magnet pair (62, 64) that draws the box trays closed togetherwidth-wise, and facilitates holding the box trays in alignmentwidth-wise. The box trays 60 may include magnets 62, 64 along both thelengths and widths, may be used as discussed above with respect to boxtrays 34.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous modifications andvariations may be made to the above disclosed embodiments withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is: 1-50. (canceled)
 51. A box handling systemcomprising a box having one or more outer flaps provided at a top of thebox, and a box cover for placement over the top of the box such that theone or more outer flaps of the box are maintained in an open positionalong an outside of the box, wherein the box cover includes outer wallportions that contact the outer flaps, holding the outer flaps in theopen position, and upper ledges that extend inward from the outer wallportions, the upper ledges for contacting a top of the box, and innerwall portions that extend from the upper ledges and define an open topportion that permits access to an interior of the box.
 52. The boxhandling system as claimed in claim 51, wherein the box cover furtherincludes inner wall portions that extend from the upper ledges.
 53. Thebox handling system as claimed in claim 51, wherein the box coverincludes an alignment means for stacking adjacent box covers.
 54. Thebox handling system as claimed in claim 51, wherein the box includes boxidentifying indicia uniquely identifying the box.
 55. The box handlingsystem as claimed in claim 51, wherein the box cover includes a recessedarea in which box cover identifying indicia that uniquely identifies thebox cover is located.
 56. The box handling system as claimed in claim55, wherein a processing system is responsive to perception output froma perception unit for analyzing the box cover identifying indicia. 57.The box handling system as claimed in claim 56, wherein the processingsystem associates the box cover identifying indicia of the box coverwith a defined set of objects.
 58. The box handling system as claimed inclaim 57, wherein the defined set of objects are homogenous.
 59. The boxhandling system as claimed in claim 57, wherein the defined set ofobjects are heterogeneous.
 60. The box handling system as claimed inclaim 51, wherein the outer wall portions include corner elements thatfacilitate stacking of the box covers.
 61. The box handling system asclaimed in claim 51, wherein the box cover provides that outer flaps ofboxes of multiple sizes may be held in an open position.
 62. The boxhandling system as claimed in claim 51, wherein the box cover providesthat multiple sizes of outer flaps of boxes may be held in an openposition.
 63. The box handling system as claimed in claim 51, whereinthe box is able to be filled to a level higher than a height of the boxthrough the box cover.
 64. A box handling system comprising a box havingone or more outer flaps provided at a top of the box, and a box coverfor placement over the top of the box such that the one or more outerflaps of the box are maintained in an open position along an outside ofthe box, wherein the box cover includes outer wall portions that contactthe outer flaps, holding the outer flaps in the open position, and innerwall portions that define an open top portion that permits access to aninterior of the box.
 65. The box handling system as claimed in claim 64,wherein the box cover further includes upper ledges that extend betweenthe outer wall portions and the inner wall portions.
 66. The boxhandling system as claimed in claim 64, wherein the box cover includesan alignment means for stacking adjacent box covers.
 67. The boxhandling system as claimed in claim 64, wherein the box includes boxidentifying indicia uniquely identifying the box.
 68. The box handlingsystem as claimed in claim 64, wherein the box cover includes a recessedarea in which box cover identifying indicia that uniquely identifies thebox cover is located.
 69. The box handling system as claimed in claim68, wherein a processing system is responsive to perception output froma perception unit for analyzing the box cover identifying indicia. 70.The box handling system as claimed in claim 69, wherein the processingsystem associates the box cover identifying indicia of the box coverwith a defined set of objects.
 71. The box handling system as claimed inclaim 70, wherein the defined set of objects are homogenous.
 72. The boxhandling system as claimed in claim 70, wherein the defined set ofobjects are heterogeneous.
 73. The box handling system as claimed inclaim 64, wherein the outer wall portions include corner elements thatfacilitate stacking of the box covers.
 74. The box handling system asclaimed in claim 64, wherein the box cover provides that outer flaps ofboxes of multiple sizes may be held in an open position.
 75. The boxhandling system as claimed in claim 64, wherein the box cover providesthat multiple sizes of outer flaps of boxes may be held in an openposition.
 76. The box handling system as claimed in claim 64, whereinthe box is able to be filled to a level higher than a height of the boxthrough the box cover.
 77. A box handling system comprising a box havingone or more outer flaps provided at a top of the box, and a box coverfor placement over the top of the box such that the one or more outerflaps of the box are maintained in an open position along an outside ofthe box, wherein the box cover defines an open top portion that permitsaccess to an interior of the box, wherein the box cover includes arecessed area in which box cover identifying indicia that uniquelyidentifies the box cover is located, and wherein a processing systemrecords the box cover identifying indicia of the box cover.
 78. The boxhandling system as claimed in claim 77, wherein the box cover includesouter wall portions that contact the outer flaps, holding the outerflaps in the open position, and upper ledges that extend inward from theouter wall portions, the upper ledges for contacting a top of the box.79. The box handling system as claimed in claim 78, wherein the boxcover further includes inner wall portions that extend from the upperledges.
 80. The box handling system as claimed in claim 79, wherein thebox cover further includes upper ledges that extend between the outerwall portions and the inner wall portions.
 81. The box handling systemas claimed in claim 77, wherein the box cover includes an alignmentmeans for stacking adjacent box covers.
 82. The box handling system asclaimed in claim 77, wherein the box includes box identifying indiciauniquely identifying the box.
 83. The box handling system as claimed inclaim 77, wherein the processing system is responsive to perceptionoutput from a perception unit for analyzing the box cover identifyingindicia.
 84. The box handling system as claimed in claim 83, wherein theprocessing system associates the box cover identifying indicia of thebox cover with a defined set of objects.
 85. The box handling system asclaimed in claim 84, wherein the defined set of objects are homogenous.86. The box handling system as claimed in claim 84, wherein the definedset of objects are heterogeneous.
 87. The box handling system as claimedin claim 77, wherein the outer wall portions include corner elementsthat facilitate stacking of the box covers.
 88. The box handling systemas claimed in claim 77, wherein the box cover provides that outer flapsof boxes of multiple sizes may be held in an open position.
 89. The boxhandling system as claimed in claim 77, wherein the box cover providesthat multiple sizes of outer flaps of boxes may be held in an openposition.
 90. The box handling system as claimed in claim 77, whereinthe box is able to be filled to a level higher than a height of the boxthrough the box cover